Tony Gillan

During the brief hiatus between Dick Advocaat’s departure and Sam Allardyce’s arrival, the name of Harry Redknapp was on the lips of every Sunderland supporter.

The whole sentence was: “Please God, don’t let it be Harry Redknapp.”

Ellis Short has lacked guidance in certain previous appointments, but that is not the same as losing each and every one of his marbles. Honest ‘Arry was never going to be offered the opportunity of recording the fifth relegation of his career at Sunderland.

The wheeler-dealer ruled himself out of the running for a job that he had never been ruled in for.

Another club may gleefully seize the opportunity to employ the man who left QPR with debts of £179.6m in the course of guiding them to two relegations; but mercifully Sunderland felt differently.

The fanatical taxpayer explained why he would not be taking up a fictional job offer.

Having spent a mere £29m on Sandro, Jordan Mutch and Chris Samba (who was on £100,000 a week at QPR), he took a dim view of the money that those wastrels at Sunderland have squandered.

He said (and we’re not kidding): “Thiy’ve not recroo-id very well. Thiy’ve not brawt good plyers in. They’ve spent decent manny again, but I saw dem ply at Bawn-maff the uvver day and dey were an absolute disarster.”

Amid that pidgin English there may be a salient point; but for Honest ‘Arry to be the one dispensing it defies belief.